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‘Adolf Hitler’ set to return: Why Namibia's local polls have drawn global attention
59-year-old Adolf, who prefers to go by his first name, has retained the seat ever since his first victory in 2004.
A local election in Namibia is garnering global attention once again, five years after it made headlines worldwide, as a municipal councillor with an unusual name is set to retain his seat.
Adolf Hitler Uunona — the Namibian leader who shares his name with the notorious German dictator who led the country to the Second World War — is fighting again from the Ompundja constituency in the northern Oshana region.
The Namibian local leader is a member of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) party and rose to prominence ever since he won the seat, which brought attention to his unusual name.
59-year-old Adolf, who prefers to go by his first name, has retained the seat ever since his first victory in 2004.
Why was the Namibian leader named Adolf Hitler?
After his name garnered global attention, the SWAPO party leader said the name was given by his father, who did not understand its association with the German dictator.
"My father probably didn’t understand what Adolf Hitler stood for. As a child, I saw it as a totally normal name,” New York Post quoted the leader as saying.
Names like Adolf are not uncommon in Namibia, which was colonised by Germany from 1884 to 1915, when it was part of then South West Africa.
After winning the election in 2020, Uunona said he didn't have a choice in his name and that he tries to stay away from any connection to the infamous Adolf Hitler, according to NDTV.
When asked about his name following 2020 win, Uunona told AFP: “I am not going to entertain the conversation, there is no reason we should be sitting here, having an entire conversation about my name."
“You really want us to have an entire conversation about my name? How will that make Namibia a better country, how will it contribute to the development of our country?” Uunona asked.
